Heart Shaped Croutons

Heart shaped croutons are a super easy and fun way to make a salad festive for Valentine’s Day. It is such a simple way to add an extra little touch. Nothing says romance like toasted bread. Fact.

And, to be quite honest, any shape would do. I plan on making bunnies for Easter and you could even make footballs for the super bowl. All game days need a salad. It balances out the good stuff. I went with a simple salt and pepper combination with these, but feel free to spice them up with a little garlic powder, dried basil or oregano or red pepper flakes.

Using cookie cutters, cut heart shapes out of bread and place on cookie sheet

Let sit for an hour, then preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix oil, salt and pepper

Using a pastry brush or a spoon, brush heart shapes with oil mixture. Flip and brush other side.

Place in oven and cook for 8 minutes. Turn shapes over and continue baking for an additional 8 minutes until shapes are golden brown

Let cool on cookie sheet and enjoy!

Croutons are best enjoyed on the same day, but will keep for a few day in an airtight container at room temperature.

I had a little helper today. This is a great cooking project to do with kids. Spencer is only 2.5 and could cut the bread, remove the shapes, and brush them with oil. I did a little evening out when he was done, but for the most part he was able to do it. (It does depend a little bit on your desire for neatness and precision. Some of the hearts ended up a little rustic and he ended up a little… oily.) Pin It